


Love, Anonymous

by Jxssimarie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Drama & Romance, F/M, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Secret Admirer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 09:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18340967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jxssimarie/pseuds/Jxssimarie
Summary: When love is blind, anyone would do the unspeakable to please the ones they love - even if it could hurt them. When Sokka begins receiving anonymous letters from a secret admirer, he assumes Suki is reaching out to him, however he would never imagine them coming from the true culprit.Avatar The Last Airbender: Sokka and Toph fanfic





	1. Chapter 1

Four years after the defeat of Firelord Ozai, the world has been restored. While still in contact, most members of the 'Gaang' have wandered off on their own paths. Toph in particular decided to continue her travels, refusing to return to her parents. Traveling alongside the remaining members of the Freedom Fighters, they never stood in one nation too long. It was a constant battle among themselves to decide on where they would go next. 

Present day, Toph, Smellerbee, Pipsqueak, and the Duke found themselves in the newly reestablished Fire Nation, passing through the area where Master Piandao once trained Sokka. 

Over the years Toph formed a strong bond with Smellerbee especially, both understanding how the world only noticed their masculine traits, treating them like 'one of the boys'. It was helpful at times but deteriorated their self esteem, making them feel as if they could never partake in 'feminine activities'. Passing through the valley something had seemed to grab all of their attention, except for of course Toph. 

"Hey Bandit! That looks like your friend Sokka!"

"Sokka, where did you see him Smellerbee?"

"No, there's a sign on the post!"

"Well come on, don't leave the blind girl hanging, what does it say?"

"H-Heh, I've never been much of a reader, how about you Pipsqueak?"

"Uhhhh let me see, okay I think it says 'Sokka, the brave warrior from the Southern Water Tribe, gather around for his World Famous sword practice lesson in town this Tuesday only!'"

"So what do you say, Toph?"

Sokka. The girl had not seen him in over three years now. Last she heard he had been traveling alongside Suki like a lost puppy. She had grown so much, he must have grown too. Would he even recognize her now? Growing her shiny black hair out, she abandoned the bun letting her locks pass the mid length of her back. It took what seemed like forever, but her body finally began to fill out, her friends would tease claiming she looked more and more like a 'woman' each day. It couldn't hurt to attend his stupid 'lesson', she had seen him embarrass himself in front of crowds quite a few times already over the years. 

"That's today, isn't it? We should go, it could be  fun."

"I'm scared to see you try to pick up a sword, Toph... N-no offense of course!"

"Shut up The Duke! I wouldn't stand to close after saying that!"

They were close to town already, certain they would arrive in time. Toph was nervous to see Sokka, they had all seemed to part their own ways, and clearly he had made a life of his own. She might not even say anything to him, simply blend in with the crowd to see just how much of a 'legend' he was. 

Once in town they were greeted by a huge crowd, nearly a hundred people all gathered hoping for a chance to take place in the lesson. Leading the front of the group through, the pushed people aggressively aside, "Blind girl coming through! Get out of the way!" They all made it to the front of the crowd , Sokka setting up in the distance. She decided against announcing herself, waiting to see if he would even notice. 

Sokka turned to the crowd, scanning his eyes around, a smile forming when he noticed the group up front. Sword in hand, he approached the girl, his goofy smile showing through. 

"What are you doing here?"

"You know i would never miss a chance to see you make a fool out of yourself - and the others think it'd be funny to see me handle a sword-"

"Hey! I've grown up now, I'm not as much of a klutz anymore, this isn't my first lesson."

"Well give us a show then!"

Sokka handed the girl a sword, that might of been a mistake but she appreciated the trust. 

"This ones mine, so don't go stabbing anyone."

"No promises!"

The lesson was short but sweet, Toph admiring just how much he had matured. He handled the students like a true master would - even taking the time to individually help each person. Taking pride in being able to jab at some cabbages, she saw it as a successful day. 

The lesson dragged on for an hour or so, the crowd quickly dispersing as Sokka packed up for the day. The group approached and helped out, gathering the swords to pack up. Toph approached Sokka handing the sword back over to him, "That wasn't so bad, is this what you do for a living now?"

"Oh I have many talents, this is just a side gig on my free time. Hey, I'm staying at the inn down the street if you guys want to stop by later for some tea-"

This invitation took her by surprise, but it was in her nature to decline. "No we should really get going... but I'll see you around, huh?"

"Sure yeah, keep in touch this time."

The group set up camp outside of town, settling in for the night. After a few hours in her rock hunt, the decided to see if Smellerbee was still up. 

Sneaking into her tent, she was pleased to see the candles still lit. 

"H-Hey, I want to mess with Sokka... but I can't really write a letter myself... Will you help me write it?"

"Yeah sure, you sending him a death threat or something?"

"Ha! Not this time..."

Handing her a piece of parchment, some ink, and a brush she took a seat in front of her.

"Okay what should I write?"

"Dear Sokka,     I haven't seen you in so long, I'm happy to hear you're doing well for yourself. There's a few things I've never told you, I could never find the words. I'd like to see you again someday, maybe when I'm ready. You look good ... Hopefully I hear from you soon , Love, Anonymous"

"Ooh that's good! He's going to think it's Suki!"

"Ha, yeah..."

"You want me to come with you to bring it to him?"

"N-No... I'll hide it in his bag, I'll be back soon... if they wake up don't tell them where I went, okay?"

"Alright no problem!"

With a black cloak over her, she snuck into town, pleased to see no one was around. Peaking into the inn, Sokka was passed out on the floor, candles still lit inside. She eased the door open, the creaking noise sending fear throughout her. With note in hand she placed it beside him, sneaking back out of the room. 

She knew she would most likely never hear back, but it was fun to mess with him even a little bit on her free time.


	2. Part 2

Awakening from a deep sleep, the groggy brunette forced himself out of bed, stretching both arms out. With a slight yawn his eyes pondered around the small room, a piece of parchment laying on his bag instantly catching his attention. Stretching over to grab it, his mind started to question how it even got there .   
Hm, fan mail... creepy fan mail. 

Eyes scanning the letter, he couldn't help but smile. That's my girl... Instantly he pulled out a piece of paper, composing a 'love letter' of his own. 

"Dear Suki,   
I'm so happy to hear from you again - for a while there I didn't think you cared anymore. I miss you more and more everyday. I wish you would have came in to see me last night, but the whole secret admirer theme is cool too. Why don't you let me come see you? I'm free for a few weeks... I would love to see you again soon.   
Love, Sokka"

"Andddd finished!" 

Folding the letter up and tying it with a ribbon, he ran from the inn half naked, heading into town to find a carrier hawk. Tucking the letter into the hawk's bag, he flailed around screaming and pointing as if the hawk could understand, "Fly! Return letter!"

Eventually the hawk disappeared into the sky, only the scent of the original letter as its guide. 

............................................................

The small group gathered by the fire, sharing stories of the past and present. After Jet's capture, the group had become so lost without a true leader. They spent most of their days arguing over where to go next. Without a set leader they could never decide anything amongst themselves. With the sun just setting it would soon be time to retire for the night, knowing they would have to continue their travels in the morning. 

Toph yawned and stood up, bending her own rock tent for the night. With everyone else already asleep, Toph sat by the opening of her structure, fiddling with a few pebbles. A familiar screech could be seen in the distance, dropping a piece of parchment onto her lap. Oh no he actually responded. 

She sat in silence, debating whether or not to wake her friend up. She wanted to know so badly what it said.

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she rushed into Smellerbee's tent, shaking her awake. 

"T-Toph? What time is it!"

"Come on I need your help again-"

"What is it this time?"

"We got a response!"

"Well what does it- oh wait... Hand it over"

Doing as she said, Smellerbee read the letter over, bursting out in laughter. 

"Oh man he really thinks it's that Kyoshi girl."

"Ha- I know isn't this great?"

"Yeah! We better work on another one..."

Gathering the supplies they both gathered around the fire, Toph bending a flat workbench for them. 

"Alright let's get started,"

"What do I write?"

“Dear Sokka,   
I’m not sure if you would really want to see me... But I would like to see you again. I’ll agree to meet with you in two days at the center of the Royal Fire Nation City, but I want you to come with a blindfold on. If you decide to come I will see you then.   
Love, Anonymous” 

“Wow are you really going to go see him? Like yourself?”

“Hence the blindfold!”

“Won’t he recognize your voice?”

“I-I’ll figure it out... I still have two days to think of something good...”

“Alright, alright I trust you.”

The messenger hawk still perched on a nearby branch, Toph carefully attached the letter, the bird soon flying off to fulfill its duty. 

Smellerbee returned to her tent, Toph on the other hand too anxious to sleep. She sat still by the fire, letting its strong flames warm her pale skin. None of this seemed right, lying to Sokka. The old Toph would have been so excited, fueled on adrenaline for the chance of crushing his hopes and dreams. But this time she was older, more mature, and as much as she wanted to deny it, she did have feelings for that dummy. 

I’ll just tell him... I’ll tell him and run far, far away.


	3. Part 3

Those two days passed by quickly, each moment fueling her anxiety. On the morning of the chosen day her stomach felt like knives were stabbing her insides with each breath. She would never admit it, but she was desperate to see Sokka again, even for just a moment. Smellerbee tried to support her, but it was a mystery to what her true intentions were . 

The next few hours would eat at her nerves, getting ready as best as she could she wore a white lace dress, Smellerbee helping with her makeup. Before setting out for town she collected a piece of cloth that had been hidden underneath her bags,  clutching it tightly in her hand. 

Smellerbee wished the girl luck, setting her off on her mission. The night air was warm and humid, her only escape being the light cool breeze against her face every few minutes. After only a half hour of walking she couldn't help but mumble to herself, "Y'Know walking really sucks..."

It wasn't long before the meeting spot was on site, but she was early. Taking shelter behind a large tree she waited, not ready to be seen just yet. She listened patiently to her surroundings, waiting for the familiar vibrations of his presence. The woods were alive tonight , so many small figures and vibrations parading around, making it more difficult than usual to concentrate. Her heart was racing, she tried to control her breathing, the first step of complete concentration. It was impossible for her to relax, this was probably the riskiest thing she had ever done, even topping her rampant gambling and professional fighting days. 

Toph was an incredible fighter - a war hero, but she wasn't at all a lover. She was so comfortable with hiding her feelings, shoving her loved ones away. But this was an entirely new feeling, one she hated. 

A few minutes - which felt like a century passed by and soon a figure approached. His familiar footstep pattern, even stumbling over his own feet at one point gave him away easily. Her entire body froze up, she couldn't speak, couldn't move, her feet were locked in place. She was terrified, even more so as the man began to call out for Suki, still expecting his ex lover to appear. Eventually he took a seat on the fountains ledge, back turned away from her. 

Toph knew that would be her best chance, she couldn't tell him it was her, not yet, not this way. Time for plan b. Using every ounce of instinct in her body she bolted towards him, light as a feather on her feet - a tip she learned for battle by the one and only twinkle - toes. Before Sokka could even react, she wrapped the piece of cloth tightly around his head, shielding his eyes from the truth. Nearly falling from his seat in shock, he questioned instantly , "Well there's that blindfold you mentioned... what's with the secrecy? I want to see you... to feel you... I've missed you."

She chose not to speak, it wasn't the best time for that. Sokka stood from his seat, reaching out. She dodged the embrace at first, holding his hand in her own. 

"You're so cold, how long have you been out here?"

Again, she responded with silence. Still panicking she held his hand tightly, giving him a reassuring little squeeze. Stepping up onto her tip toes she placed a soft kiss on his lips, embracing him for a few moments before pulling away. 

Sokka seemed to be dumbfounded, he knew, but how did he know? She could just sense that he knew it wasn't Suki. His silence caused her to panic, running back towards the woods as fast as she could. Using the earth as a tool, she bended the earth around her feet as if they were boots, using the earth to quickly guide her towards camp. 

Leaving Sokka blind and vulnerable, he quickly ripped the cloth away from his face, eyes closely scanning the area. But the mystery woman had already been long gone. 

"I have to find her..."

So far their only contact had been my letter, so maybe that was his best chance of contacting her. Quickly running back to his own camp, he began to draft some of his best work. 

"Dear Mystery Girl,

Why did you run away? I know now that you aren't Suki, but that doesn't matter to me. Your lips were much softer, and you were much shorter than her. Have I met you before? I want to meet you, really meet you this time. I felt something between us, and it's going to drive me crazy until we meet again. I will learn your secrets one day, you can't run forever.  
                                   With Love, Sokka.          "


	4. Part 4

Toph returned to camp early that morning, finding her friends were already wide awake, making breakfast around the fire pit. Smellerbee instantly teased, "Welcome back, love bird!"

Toph shot the remark down quickly, choosing to just ignore it completely. 

"You have mail, two letters actually."

Dragging the other girl by her hand to a small clearing, they both sat down. 

"Read them to me here please."

The other girl first read aloud the note from Sokka, a bright red blush instantly staining the pale girls face. 

“Oooooohhhh you kissed him!”

“Shut up!”

“I can stop reading at any time..”

“No please read the next one...”

“Okay, next one is from your old friend Aang.”

“What the hell does he want? We restored peace already or whatever - this girl is still catching up on her sleep!”

“It seems important..”

“Alright go on then - please,”

“Dear Toph, 

Hopefully you can get someone to read this to you - I was just going to send Momo but I’m not sure you would be able to understand him either! I keep hearing rumors of a small fire nation group that is growing larger each day. Some say they are trying to plan a rebellion, possibly another Ozai disaster if I don’t deal with this in time. I’m trying to get the gang together, one last ‘fight’ , huh? I heard you might be in the fire nation already from a few merchants in town so it would be great to all meet up within the next few days. I’ve already set up camp so get here as soon as you can, see you soon!”

“Oh brother! Not this again...”

“Are you going to go?”

“I mean... if the whole gang is going... I might as well, right?”

“You better head out then, how about we write one more letter to your lover before we leave?”

“He’s not my lover... but alright whatever..”

Already prepared with paper and ink, Smellerbee carefully waited to dictate Toph’s words into writing.

“Dear Sokka, 

I’m sorry I’ve had to lie to you, but it’s not best for you to find out who I am just yet. Maybe it will never be the right time. I’m scared of how you would react, what you would say to me... I think it’s best that our letters stop here. 

Love, Anonymous”

“Wow you’re stopping them already? We were just getting started!”

“He can’t find out who I am... last night was too close of a call..”

“You’re seriously no fun!”

Sending the letter out, Toph gathered her belongings. After a few quick goodbyes and see you laters, she quickly set off to the area Aang mentioned in his letter. Back to business, no more fun and games. 

It was only a few hours before she arrived to her destination, she could feel Appa’s presence from miles away. They were easy to find, on the ground at least. She charged the campsite, screaming into the air, “Your favorite earthbender is back and ready to kick some fire nation ass!”

Katara and Aang sprung up from their seats, running over to embrace Toph in one of their good old fashioned group hugs. She wasn’t much of a hugger, but it was nice to be with them again. 

After a bit of catching up, they sat around the fire munching on some pastries Aang had purchased from Iroh’s tea shop back in the earth kingdom. 

“I wasn’t exactly sure where to find you at first Toph, we looked around the earth kingdom for a while at first but couldn’t find a lead, the fire nation was one of the last places I would expect you to be.”

“What can I say, I’ve grown fond of their strange fire food.”

“You’re actually the first one here surprisingly. We’re still waiting on Sokka and Zuko. Sokka was easy to convince, It’s way more difficult to strip the fire lord away from his throne for a few weeks.”

“I’m sure cranky pants will figure it out.”

She had almost forgotten the obvious, Sokka would be there. The letters definitely had to stop now, they would be too close to get away with something like that. Her cover would be blown way too easily. 

The three of them sat around the fire late into the night, sharing stories both old and new of their travels. It was nice to reminisce on the old days, but would they ever be the same? It had been so long, who knows if they would be able to battle in harmony like they once did so easily. She needed to stay focused this time around, her feelings were irrelevant anyways.


	5. Part 5

By morning Sokka had finally arrived, a traditional loud entrance scaring the crap out of the three who were still fast asleep. 

"Have no fear! Your hero has arrived - just in time I'm hoping!"

The dark haired girl rolled over, still half asleep. She must of been really knocked out, typically she would have felt his presence from miles away. Bending her little fortress back into the Earth she reached out into the air, stretching her aching limbs while letting out a loud yawn. 

"You couldn't have just waited for us to wake up on our own, huh?"

"Of course not, danger's my middle name after all, I'm just ready to get on out of here and kick some Fire Nation butt all over again!"

"That's a great plan and all, but we still have to wait for our royal pain in the ass to arrive, oh wait.. I think he's coming"

"Hey Toph! I heard that-"

Zuko made his way into the clearing, offering a friendly smile to the group. Once again they were all together - reunited at last. They were all so much stronger now in every aspect - physically and mentally. She knew together they would be an unstoppable force, nothing could get in their way this time. Or at least that's what she had hoped for. 

Aang and Katara made their way out of their tents, all of them now gathered around the fire pit, still smoking from the night before. Zuko used his bending to relight it, the whole group sitting around awkwardly waiting for one of them to finally speak up. Aang chose to break the silence.

"It's good to see you all here, it's kind of like old times. I kind of just want to use today to catch up and relax before we head out, we still need to come up with a plan, sorry Sokka, I know how excited you are. A few weeks ago during my travels I spent a few days in Ba Sing Se, while I was there I heard rumors of a new underground kind of group forming in the Fire Nation. They're a rebel group calling themselves The Outsiders. Their members consist of escaped war criminals and a few soldiers who once worked for Ozai and Azula. Their goal is to take control of the royal palace, launching the world back into war so they can take control of everything and everywhere."

"How have I not heard about this? My guards should have informed me..."

"I'm certain they don't know, they are still in the very early works of their so called master plan, right now they don't want anyone to know. They think if they can build up their forces it'll be easier to strike. That's why we need to stop them soon, before any damage is done."

Toph chimed in, "Well how the hell do we stop them if they don't want to be found?"

"Lucky for us we know that their base is here and they don't plan on leaving. If we spend enough time here we have to find someone who knows something."

Aang pulled a large sack off of Appa's back, revealing its contents to be Fire Nation disguises.

"It's probably best we look the part while we're here, they will leave or strike early if they find out the Avatar and his friends are asking around."

Aang was right, as much as she hated walking around in disguise, talk of the Avatar being here would send them into a panic. They all changed into their new clothing, Aang reluctantly wrapping the familiar headband over his arrow. She knew how much he hated that, he must of been really freaked out by this to do it all over again. 

Once fully dressed they mutually decided to head into town, this wasn't to find information but more of a routine shopping trip, tonight they would celebrate being together again. They were older now and most accustomed to blending into the crowd without standing out. The trip was a success, lugging back meats, veggies, desserts, and more back to camp. 

Once back Zuko added more fuel to the fire, both Katara and Sokka began preparing their feast. Everyone pitched in for once, all just happy to be there. As the food started to finish, Aang and Toph bended a large table with chairs, Katara bending water from the nearby stream into a large pitcher placed at the center of the table. 

They all took a seat, digging right in. Smiles and laughter filled the clearing, all worries disappearing in that moment. As the sun began to set most of the gang retired to bed, needing to get a good nights rest for the next few weeks ahead. 

Toph struggled with sleep lately, especially the past few weeks. Her little white lie ate away at her mind, almost as much as her stupid little crush did. Being closer to him only made it worse. She just needed to get through the next few weeks, and then she could go far, far away. Seated on a ledge overlooking the stream lost in thought, she tried her best to relax, she knew a few hours of sleep would be better than none at all. So distracted she never even noticed someone had taken a seat beside her. 

"Can't sleep either huh? What's bothering you tonight, you seem off."

Sokka's voice sent her into a nervous panic, it took her a while to think of the right words to respond with.

"N-Nothing, just having trouble sleeping. Why are you still up? You never have a problem falling asleep.."

"I have a lot on my mind, can't seem to get away from it tonight."

"Well not like I care or anything, but what's wrong?"

"Oh how I've missed your sympathy. I just can't stop thinking about this girl.."

"Oh girl problems... What's going on with Suki now?"

"No, not Suki..."

"Well who's this girl?"

"Hmph, that's the problem, I'm not even sure who she is.."

Here we go, "What do you mean by that? You got a stalker or something?"

"No, nothing like that, this mystery girl's been writing me, I don't even know who she is but I think about her all the time, I just want to meet her... actually meet her, but she doesn't want to see me, maybe she's embarrassed of me or something, girls are weird."

"I'm sure it's not that... she's probably just scared of what you'll think..."

"I bet she's incredible..."


End file.
